Week 35: Week off!

What a wonderful week off split just like my heart, between New York and Tejas. I arrived in the big city Sunday night and had a few days to catch up with friends, visit a few of my favorites places. Then on to Texas on Thursday for the rest of my week with family and food.

Had my nails done for the first time in ages! So fun to finally have a color on again. I know the accent nail is super trendy, but I felt like I had to try it out. 

I love, love, LOVE Kombucha, and now there's a few new exciting flavors including Lavender and Hibiscus. I'm hoping they come in case form, as I'd consume them daily if possible.

Got to spend time with baby Sam, as I stayed with the Burrows. I can't imagine my life without them, such wonderful people and friends. Their little one is super smart and blessed to have them for parents.

Finally finished the socks, and they are a perfect fit for Sam's foot! While it was really fun taking on a new kind of project, they are definitely a labor of love. Might save the socks for special occasions, like babies and Christmas :)

Sprinkles come to Manhattan!! I was on the Upper East Side and what do I run in to but a lovely little cupcake shop I loved in Chicago. Don't worry, I shared them :)

Texas!! Pool, Shiner, and HOT HOT HOT days. Nothing like home. After a 6am flight I was pretty exhausted, but still found time to sit outside and enjoy the sun.

I usually go to church choir with my mom while I'm in town, and guess what they are singing for the 4th of July?...a good ol' Beauty and the Beast medley. Can't escape!! Haha.

Gorgeous shoes at Target!! They are so high and usually that bothers me, my being 5'7", but I posted them on Instagram and everyone said go for it, so I did. Turns out its a very similar pattern to a Steve Madden shoe, but I got them for $30. What a steal!!

Of course lots of my fun coming home is all my babies. Got to spend an afternoon with Owen monster, who knows he's cute enough to get what he wants. 

Daniel and my matching tattoos paying tribute to Dad. When I got mine I realized his is the same wrist, same meaning, and was looking forward to capturing it when I saw him again. 

Ella bella!! This little girl loves to pretend she's shy, but she's actually a big flirt! We had a great time playing pretend- swimming and flying across the ocean to Austria, on our basketball court.

Blake is getting to be too cool for school these days, and needed to tan with me before we went swimming. Ten going on twenty...

Baby Berkley!! I loved her swimsuit so much, wish they made it in adult sizes. That's a bell pepper, not a Twizzler by the way. 

Rylee, our little fish. This girl has muscles like a pro!

The newest, Josiah!! Apparently he's the best baby ever, just peaceful as can be. Still in that nugget phase, fun to hold a little sleeping meatloaf :)

Everyone together, minus Chris who was at work and Ella, who ran out of the frame.

Took a trip down memory lane in my baby book. Just felt like this was a choice shot of my childhood.

Just happened to be in town for Morgan Gill's wedding, and it was so wonderful to be able to attend! They had a gorgeous set up at the Southwest School of Art, right on the Riverwalk complete with a big dance floor, all girl pink mariachis, and gorgeous flowers. So happy for the new couple! 

Mama Kittrell and I at the Gill/Booth wedding. What a beautiful Mother I have!!

One last stop before I head back out on the road: Mague's Cafe in Boerne. Some of the best greasy spoon mexican food ever, complete with yummy Horchata- a rice milk with cinnamon. It is one of my most favorite restaurants at home and well worth the 30 minute drive to get there. 

Break was beautiful, but short. I am very much looking forward to the last 8 weeks on tour, starting in Boston, MA!! Yay for more family time!

Week 34: Schenectady, NY

This was our last week before our first vacation since September! Of course we've had a few Golden days, but a FULL week off was much needed. Think about it...seven plus months without more than a day off at a time? To anyone who doesn't think acting is a 'real' job, consider this.

Schenectady is definitely a little town, not much going on in terms of day time activities. There were a few cafes and parks where people spent their time, but mostly we were ready to go home. The shows were really well received and the space was lovely, so the week went by quickly!

Jack, our company manager, has had a few movie nights on tour and I've failed to attend. We had two nights BACK TO BACK here (if its any indication of lack of activities here in town...) watching "Babe" and "Love Never Dies". Popcorn, pizza, and theatre style candy provided. It was super fun.

New pink shorts from the GAP outlet. I smell summertime!!

I guess pink has been on the brain...Emily and I dip dyed- so trendy ;)- our hair hot pink!! She did a little streak in the back and I did just the ends. A few towels were sacrificed for the cause, nothing a little bleach won't cure.

Michael W is from Schenectady, and his mom threw a HUGE party at this place Bombers Burritos, which our group frequented during our stay. It was such a decadent party for a parent, we were so grateful for her generosity and bringing us all together for a great night. 

Berkley celebrated her first birthday, looking super adorable. She is our family's miracle baby and I'm so glad she is happy and healthy. It's hard to watch them grow up from a far, but I love the modern age of communication, all the pictures and Skype dates we can have.

Mandy's family came in to town to see her in a scheduled performance as the Wardrobe and took us out to a lovely rustic Italian breakfast. You better believe that plate was clean! 

Since we would be missing Emily's birthday by just a day, we went out for margaritas and surprised her with a GIANT birthday margaritas at Bombers Burritos. 

Ladies at Bombers. Brittany, Emily, Lauren, me, and Catherine. It was a great send off before we all departed in different directions.

At the Amtrak station, back to NYC! Can you tell we're excited?

Next week is a split week: between New York, NY and San Antonio, TX!! Family time!

Week 33: PA, VT, CT aka our last split week!!

Our last split week at all! We are blessed with an incredible schedule, and weeks like this are a friendly reminder that I am a weiner when it comes to traveling.

First stop is Williamsport, Pennsylvania for a few days. Little bitty town, but we had a nice time. Weather dipped down a little, I was back in jeans and an oxford, but I suppose that's to be expected for May.

Lots of murals around town. I love the color.

Just going for a walk, getting creative with my photography :)

Been knitting on these socks for a while. Finally down to the toe of the first sock. I love the pattern, it was mostly simple, great for a first attempt. I'm such a perfectionist, I tend to reread and recount every pattern and stitch. Looks like it's paying off!

The theatres we perform in are often gorgeous, but I rarely remember to take pictures. This was in the auditorium, beautiful art deco (?) decoration on the walls. I wish I had been better about documenting all our spaces, they are so diverse.

Emily, Caitlin, Carly, and I went for a bike ride around the town, across a bridge into another part of the city. It was a tad overcast- we all got a little sneaky sun, but had a wonderful mid-afternoon adventure together. 

Lovely ladies of the bike ride, posing on our free bikes. What a great idea hotels: have a fleet of cruisers and a map of potential paths. Love it! Also, check out all those triceps... :)

My only photo taken in Burlington, Vermont. What a cute city with incredible spring weather. I'd definitely like to return here, maybe for and outdoor adventure vacation...

And off to New Haven, Connecticut for the weekend. My college friend Gracie is studying at Yale Divinity School, but was in Uganda while we passed through...sad for me, awesome for her! It's certainly close enough to make the trip some weekend once I'm finished. The weather is just getting better and better, and on top of staying in an Omni hotel (yahoo luxury!) I enjoyed a lot of time wandering around the school and in a nearby park.

Girls night sushi!! I LOVE the ladies of our cast, we have such a great time together. There's a lot of diversity in terms of personality and tastes, but everyone is so beautiful people definitely notice when we come in a drove together. Miya's is an incredibly unique sushi place in New Haven, check it out here.

Sake bombs with Chinese Firecracker sake- aged sake with locally grown chili peppers and citrus. Holy moly delicious heart burn!! Miya's is a MUST see/eat!!

Premium day in the park. Sun was shining, nothing to do before the show...

but catch some rays in the grass. 

Yale University. Gorgeous campus, those Harry Potter-esque buildings...I definitely get the Ivy League appeal. Grad school? ;)

Despite a great deal of moving around, I had a great week. Burlington and New Haven definitely deserve trips of their own to soak up some more adventures, but that will be another time. Next up is Schenectady, New York: our final week before a much needed week of vacation!! 

Week 32: Easton, PA and New Brunswick, NJ

Split week with a beautiful end in sight: a day off in the city!! Side note: People tend to ask, "What city do you mean?" when I refer to 'the city'. It is, of course, Manhattan. Where else would I mean?? :)

We had a gorgeous apartment rental in Easton, which put us just blocks away from the theatre. The rest of the company was a bus ride away in Bethlehem, so we weren't close enough for many visitors, but it was lovely having so much space...and a kitchen. 

Because we had a refrigerator/stove/blender/counter space the beginning of the week essentially revolved around food. First night in we had fajita taco night, and a little dance party in the kitchen.

I found an excellent egg salad recipe on Epicurious (you can make it too! see here) and cooked it up in Easton. Super delicious, going into my special recipe's box. 

My sweet friend Carly is a pseudo-vegan...she is highly allergic to dairy, and after a cleanse last summer, decided to knock meat out of her diet too. She still has eggs and fish, so there's a little animal product going on, but she's gotten into incredible shape this last year. She is my health nut inspiration these days. I made a 'Carly Vegan' chocolate cake...still contains eggs but not dairys!! Also added an almond milk glaze to really get that sugar in :) 

Carly and Caitlin swung by to see the house one day...and we fed them. Carly: "Wow, if this is what happens when you go out of a walk, I'm doing it more often." It was kind of like what I imagine having neighbors is like...go over, have a snack and chat.

Our amazing rental. Split level, three bedroom. This suite was the ballroom, so the far doors would have originally opened on to the entry way.

Another shot of the place. Big, practically walk in fireplace, chandelier, high-high ceilings, and the little birds nest room upstairs. I could live in a place like this....

Finished Christie's hat!! She gave me complete artistic freedom and I had so much fun making my first slouchy beret type hat. The color looks so pretty with her blonde hair and she always rocks the Boho look. 

Made it to New Jersey after a little bit of drama...not really worth going in to, trying to travel separately from the company doesn't always go well, but I made it all the same. So nice to be back in my second home with my Aunt Cynthia! She's waiting to come to see the show in Philly...

All my possessions in boxes. I got that French horn right before I went on tour...really looking forward to getting back to playing when I'm done. Oh, and having more than a single suitcase of clothes.

So many shoes on tour! Clearly my neutrals are black and gold. 

Got to see my wonderful, talented, fashionable friend Adam on our day off in the city. This is what he wore to work...talk about beating a case of the Mondays!! I love him so much, it's been a long year away from my good friends.

This sweet boy is three times bigger than the last time I saw him!! Baby Sam and his parents Samanthe and Jason are some of my nearest and dearest friends, and this guy is already 15 months old! Where does the time go?

Next up is our FINAL split week on tour! Covering three states, we'll be in Pennsylvania (will we ever leave ?? :) ), Vermont, and Connecticut. Closer and closer to a week off!